Biotech Updates

Tanzania Hosts Key International Forum on Plant Viral Diseases

February 6, 2013

Tanzania recently hosted the week long 12th International Plant Virus Epidemiology (IPVE) symposium from January 28 to February 2. With the theme "Evolution, Ecology and Control of Plant Viruses," the conference brought together over 200 scientists and leading experts on plant viruses from 40 countries all around the world.

Dr. Lava Kumar, a virologist with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and chair of the 12th IPVE Symposium invited the participants to share experiences and the latest knowledge and technologies to control plant viruses. He also encouraged the development of a global strategy to combat emerging and reemerging plant virus diseases with a focus in Africa. An opening message from Dr. Fidelis Myaka, the Director for Research and Development at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives (MAFC), delivered by Dr. Elly Kafiriti, the Director of the Naliendele Research Institute, noted the negative impact of plant viruses on food security in the continent where they are fueled by poor agronomic practices of resource-poor small-holder farmers. They also assured that the Tanzanian government is supportive of all efforts aimed at finding solutions to control plant viruses in the country.  

The meeting was co-organized by IITA, MARI Tanzania, the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) of Uganda, AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center in Arusha, and CORAF under the auspices of the International Committee on Plant Virus Epidemiology (ICPVE), a specialist committee on plant virus epidemiology of the International Society of Plant Pathology (ISPP).

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